


today

by poalimal



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Captain America Sam Wilson, Communication, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:01:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22755187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poalimal/pseuds/poalimal
Summary: Everybody needs a day off. Sam and Bucky spend theirs at the pool.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 64





	today

Sam was more fish than bird: he slid smoothly along the dark blue bottom of the pool, all the way to the deep end - then came back again, up to the shallows, where Bucky was sitting on the steps, watching him. 

Sam emerged gleaming up to the chest, water running down his face, breathing and smiling hard. He tilted his chin at Bucky's arm. 'Your arm ok in the pool?'

Bucky shrugged. 'It's touched a lot worse than chlorine.' Hydrofluoric acid, for one.

'Right, right,' Sam nodded, walking up the steps till his trunks billowed out water. He grinned, plopping down on the second highest step, right next to Bucky. 'Like your face.'

'Or your ass,' Bucky said mildly.

Sam took Bucky by the head and gave him a big smacking kiss on the cheek, getting water all over his sweaty upper half. 'Baby,' he said, smiling, 'you love my ass.'

Bucky turned in his grip to give him a real kiss. Apparently all it took to make Sam handsy in public was a trip to the pool on a day that looked like rain - who knew?

Sam pulled away from the kiss with a small hum, looking Bucky back and forth in the eyes. He wondered what it was, sometimes, that Sam saw when he looked at him. Whatever Sam saw this time seemed to please him, 'cus he smiled and said, 'you gonna join me in the water any time soon?'

'Nah,' said Bucky. 'I'm no good underwater. Something about it goin' over my head makes me freak.' A brief blinding flash in the sky; a crack of thunder on its heels. The sound of two lifeguards in the locker room losing their shit over Captain America, even a half-hour later. Bucky tuned them out - he wasn't s'posed to be able to hear.

'Oh.' Sam made an unhappy noise, sitting back. 'We didn't have to come, then - we could've done something that you liked, too. I think the Air & Space exhibit is still open, you wanna go to that?'

Bucky wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulder and pulled him close again. 'Naw, no can do,' he said with a sigh. 'I actually hate science exhibits now, sorry.'

Sam gave him a particularly frowny smile. God, Bucky loved him. 'Stop it, no, you do not. Now I feel bad! It's our first day off in how many months, and I've just spent it off in my own little world - meanwhile, this whole time, you've been miserable.' Now _he_ sounded miserable, great. This was why it was important to lie to your partner... or at least better plan out when you... spoke your truth, or whatever.

'Did I say I was miserable?' Bucky said.

Sam pursed his lips - petulant. That lower lip of his was begging to be bitten - Bucky obliged, then licked the rest of the way into his mouth. They went at it for a while until Bucky remembered there were two kids pretending not to watch. He leaned back a little, shaking his head ruefully, reaching his wet hand up to touch Sam's jaw. 

Sam leaned against his palm and looked at him deeply. Lately he'd taken to outlining all the reasons he loved Bucky. _I love the way you make me coffee, I love the way you laugh, I love the way you touch my face_. That kind of stuff. Bucky wouldn't have thought that would've done it for him, but apparently it really did. It actually embarrassed him, how much he liked it. Anyway. He'd successfully negotiated a ceasefire for today, in honour of their day off - but he could still see it all over Sam's face. The things he wanted to say; the way that he felt. 

It might not be the worst thing, thought Bucky, hearing him say it all.

Sam's voice was low and lovely, something precious between the leaves of his heart. 'It's just... you never had a problem telling me what you thought before. But sometimes it feels like you've become more guarded. And I don't want you to feel like you have to do what I want, just to make me happy.'

Being with you makes me happy, Bucky thought, dismayed. Even when you psychoanalyse the shit out of me. Watching you be happy makes me happy. 

He avoided Sam's gaze. '--You know I love you,' he said, unexpectedly. Sam's eyes widened - Bucky felt his stomach drop. Shit. 'No, wait, I just meant--'

Sam started cracking up. Bucky just stared. 'Ha-ha-ha, nope!, no take-backs! You said you _love_ me, you really wa-nt me, you want to know me, I make you hap-py--' all sing-songy and smug. 

Very annoying. Bucky was annoyed, probably. He kissed him firmly to shut him up. And maybe... for a few other reasons.

Thunder grumbling, distant - rain drizzling down now - Sam's face cool between his hands. They leaned their heads against each other. Grateful for the heat; for the nearness of each other.

Sam closed his eyes. 'We should get somewhere dry,' he murmured.

'Mm-hm,' said Bucky, watching him - one moment closer to all that he wanted to say.

**Author's Note:**

> _Today, I feel like pleasing you more than before_   
>  _Today, I know what I wanna do, but I don't know what for_


End file.
